Intelligent Agent and Manager System and Method

ABSTRACT

A system having an agent manager and a plurality of agents for assisting a user in reaching a conclusion is provided in at least one embodiment. In at least one embodiment, the system is in communication with at least one database housing information to be analyzed by at least one of the agents. Further embodiments include the operation of the system and its interaction with the at least one database. In at least one further embodiment, the method includes the development and publication of the agents.

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/349,557, filed May 28, 2010, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an expert system having one or more agentsworking in parallel to provide recommendations based on informationprovided by an agent manager and/or at least one database.

II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Previous expert systems (particularly in medicine) have been used tosupply the user with online/automated facility where a diagnosticdetermination is aided by a monolithic and sophisticated algorithm usingexpert rules and inference engines. What makes these “all encompassing”expert systems unmanageable relates to the difficulty in validating andupdating new rules within the framework of a large expert system.

In the practice of medicine, all the references that clinicians use tohelp make their diagnosis and treatment plans must be validated. Largeexpert systems are difficult to design for any utility for the physiciandue to the inverse relationship between complexity of algorithms andtestability. In order for expert systems to properly assist its humanuser, there must be a large degree of completeness/thoroughness.However, making sure all the rules embedded in such software areaccurate would be a large undertaking particularly when you begin to addand modify new rules over time as there are developments in the field.An expert system is only useful if the algorithms contained in such asystem are current (embedding the latest and more relevant informationavailable).

III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In any field requiring expertise (e.g., medicine, law, mechanicaldiagnostics, even science studies), the ability to remember importantinformation at the appropriate time is always important (if notcritical). The internet and computer search engines have done aremarkable job in organizing the data for practical use. However, whenone practices in an expert field (e.g., medicine, law, service repairs,diagnostics of any kind), the user is either in “expert mode” wheretheir personal recollection of information is based on his/her ownability to remember this information or the user goes into “researchmode” where they consult information databases to look for relevantprecedent information. “Research mode” could be any activity such assearching on the internet, reviewing past scientific journals, callingan expert colleague, and so on.

The agent system in at least one embodiment includes an interactivesolution to monitor relevant inputs and provide timely and appropriateoutputs based on current scientific data which aid the user to make aninformed decision. Rather than worry about creating one largesoftware/flowchart system, the agent system in at least one embodimentincludes a plurality of agents and an agent manager.

Using electronic search tools and reading all the papers is thetraditional way of arriving at an informed decision. However since thiseffort is very time-consuming, many experts do not rely on thismethod—opting instead to use their experience to handle more of theroutine situations. However, the agent system in at least one embodimentwill allow the user to always have substantially up-to-date informationabout any new changing field of expertise that they subscribe to—muchlike subscribing to a scientific journal which sends out regularperiodicals but without the need to have to read and recall all thatinformation. In at least one embodiment, the source for the informationused to create the agent is provided to the professional using thesystem. Nothing in this disclosure should be interpreted as replacingthe judgment of the professional using a system built according to thisinvention. The invention in at least one embodiment is intended toaugment the information available to the professional to assist theprofessional in his/her decision-making process.

In at least one embodiment, the agent manager keeps all agents runningconcurrently—giving the user an overview dashboard of all the runningagents and their running status. Some agents are dormant, waiting forinput, some are processing data and waiting for more data, and othersare finished based on receiving and processing all the inputs theyrequire.

In a further embodiment, the agents work with the agent manager toreport the running status of the agent (stopped, waiting, in process,completed). Each agent works independently from all the other agents(unless one agent relies on the output of another agent).

In at least one embodiment, the agents are separated from the agentmanager to allow the inclusion and modification of new agents possiblewithout disturbing the existing agents. Also, in at least one embodimenteach agent is supported by reference literature (or other material)allowing the validation of the algorithms to be manageable and easy toverify.

In at least one embodiment, each agent is meta-tagged and can beorganized by subject matter, possibly connected or linked appropriatelyor searchable. The tracking of agent activity and use will allow foraudit trails and individual usage monitoring to occur.

In at least one embodiment, the agent is a representation of one singlescientific publication. A typical scientific publication usuallyconsists of a basic algorithm or analysis that has been proposed,constructed, tested, analyzed and cleared for publication in arecognized scientific journal. The papers are typically reviewed byexpert peers and cleared for publication. The papers themselves remainstatic records of these experiments. It is assumed the reader(clinician) will remember this information for useful application to anew relevant situation (i.e., a new patient exhibiting the sameconditions or a client with the same legal situation). The agent in atleast one embodiment includes a distillation of the scientific paperthat runs in the background of any database (e.g., electronic medicalrecord system containing clinical decision support data points) ready toprovide an output if the input conditions are met.

In at least one embodiment, the invention includes a system including:an agent manager having an interface for interacting with at least oneexternal database, an internal database, and a controller connected tothe interface and the internal database; and a plurality of agents incommunication with the agent manager, each agent having a plurality offlow steps for processing information substantially in parallel with theother agents to provide an output to at least one of the agent managerand an agent database interface for communicating with at least oneexternal database, the output is based on at least one input by theagent; and wherein the internal database of the agent manager includesan entry for each agent in communication with the agent manager. In afurther embodiment, each entry in the internal database includes atechnical area for each agent, and the controller controls the flow ofinformation from the interface to the plurality of agents based at leaston the technical area of each agent in the internal database. In afurther embodiment, the controller publishes all information receivedthrough the interface to all agents in communication with the agentmanager. In a further embodiment, the controller includes a displaygenerator, the display generator creates a graphical user interface fordisplaying any output received from agents in communication with theagent manager. In a further embodiment, the controller monitors theoperation of the agents and displays this information. In a furtherembodiment, the interface monitors the availability of data in anydatabase in communication with the interface, and in at least oneembodiment the controller publishes data as it becomes available in anydatabase. In a further embodiment, the interface monitors any databasein communication with the interface for predetermined events beforepulling data for publication by the controller to any agents incommunication with the agent manager.

In at least one embodiment, the invention includes a method forproviding assistance to a professional based on at least part ofavailable material in the professional's field, the method including:receiving information with an agent manager from an expert system, thereceived information is to be analyzed by a plurality of agents;distributing the information to the agents in communication with theagent manager; monitoring and displaying the progress of the agents withthe agent manager; and receiving and reporting to at least one of adatabase and a human user any results provided by the agents to theagent manager. In a further embodiment, the information is distributedto agents based on the information received. In a further embodiment,the method further includes maintaining an internal database in theagent manager having an entry for each agent in communication with theagent manager; and updating the internal database when there is a changein the agents in communication with the agent manager. In at least oneembodiment, distributing the information is based on entries in theinternal database that includes, for example, a technical area for eachagent in communication with the agent manager. In a further embodiment,the method further includes tracking the inputs for each agent incommunication with the agent manager; and assembling a questionnaire foruse by the professional that includes questions to gather the inputs forthe agents. In a still further embodiment, the method further includesmaintaining a patient-agent database with each entry identifying a linkcreated between each patient and each agent that patient information hadbeen exchanged about.

In at least one embodiment, the invention includes a method including:capturing a plurality of data with a data capture module; populating adatabase with the captured data; performing at least one of monitoringthe database for the addition of data and notifying with the datacapture module an agent manager when the data capture is done; notifyingagents by the agent manager to retrieve data; retrieving data from thedatabase by the agents; and outputting information from each agent thatretrieved data to at least one of the agent manager and the database.

Given the following enabling description of the drawings, the inventionshould become evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

IV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram according to another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example interface for use in at least oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart according to another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example interface for use in at least oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate additional example interfaces for use in atleast one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram according to another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram according to another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram for an agent according to at leastone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart according to another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an agent algorithm design approach according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate different interfaces for use with at least oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate examples of different agents according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a representation of the process for development ofagents according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of the logic flow of an example agentaccording to at least one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram according to another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates another block diagram according to anotherembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a computer program product and computerimplementation according to an embodiment of the invention.

V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-19 illustrate different aspects of different embodimentsaccording to the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment according to the invention thatincludes an agent manager 100 in communication with a plurality ofagents 110 that operate substantially in parallel to each other. In thevarious described embodiments, the agent manager 100 and the agents 110are in communication with a record system 150 that provides patientinformation for processing by the agents 110. In at least oneembodiment, the record system 150 includes at least one database 152having a variety of data fields that are associated with one or moreagents 110 where the fields can be populated based on, for example, dataprovided by other devices 160, responses received to queries by therecord system 150 to the user or manual entry by the user through aninterface 156. In a further embodiment, the record system 150 isreplaced by a data intake module that, for example, receives informationfrom the user or pulls the needed information from other sourcesincluding databases, public records, court records, etc. In analternative embodiment, the agent manager 110 receives the data and anyother information from user without the presence of the record system150.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an agent manager 100 including adisplay generator 102, an interface 104, an internal database (or agentdatabase) 106, and a controller 108. The interface 104 provides theconnection between the controller 108 and the external database 152 orother software package that provides a notification of when data isready in the database 152 for analysis. The internal database 106 in atleast one embodiment includes an entry for each agent 110 incommunication with the agent manager 100 and in further embodimentsincludes a technical area for each of those agents 110. The controller108 is in communication with the internal database 106 and the pluralityof agents 110 to act as a conduit of information in at least oneembodiment between the database 152 and the agents 110. Based on thisdisclosure, it should be appreciated that the agent manager 100 may takea variety of forms as discussed in this disclosure. In an alternativeembodiment, the database 106 is omitted.

The agents 110 communicate with the agent manager 100 and in at leastone embodiment the agents 110 also communicate directly or indirectlywith at least one database 152 housing information that serves as one ormore inputs into the agents 110. In at least one embodiment, the agentmanager 100 provides status information regarding each agent 110 runningand in further embodiments the status information is also provided basedon a record identifier that provides a status or an output that in atleast one embodiment includes a recommendation as to further action ornon-action.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment according to the invention.The illustrated embodiment includes an agent manager 100 incommunication with a plurality of agents 110 as represented by Agent 1 .. . Agent N. As used in this disclosure “in communication” includesphysical and wireless connections that are indirect through one or moreadditional components (or over a network) or directly between the twocomponents described as being in communication. In at least oneembodiment, the agent manager 100 and agents 110 operate on one computerwith at least one processor running software providing the functionalityof the agent manager and the agents and as such is a computer having aprocessor running specific code.

FIG. 1 illustrates additional components that provide context for thesystem, but in at least one embodiment the additional components arepart of the overall system. At least one external (or source) database152 can be in communication with the agent manager 100 and the pluralityof agents 110. The database 152 provides data to be analyzed by theagents 110. Also illustrated is a data input 156 that may take a varietyof forms including a user interface running on a computing device, adata interface to another database, or a data interface to medicalequipment or other measurement equipment. The computing device includesa computer or other processing device having a processor runningsoftware. The data input and the database together are examples ofcomponents that are found in many electronic medical record systems. Theagent manger 100 may provide a variety of outputs including, forexample, a display, a printer, a computer readable medium, or networkconnection for sending the data to another device. In at least oneimplementation, the agent manager 100 includes a display generator 102that creates the interface to be shown on any attached or incommunication display 140.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example embodiment that includes a datacapture module 158 connected to the database 152 with the remainingcomponents similar to those illustrated in FIG. 1. The data capturemodule 158 in at least one embodiment includes an interface forreceiving data and/or information from the user. FIG. 3 illustrates anexample method for operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 2. Thedata capture module 158 in at least one embodiment captures a pluralityof data related to various measurements and readings accumulated duringa medical exam, 305. The data capture module populates at least onedatabase 152 with the captured data, 310. The agent manager 100 monitorsthe database 152 for data activity or alternatively the data capturemodule 158 signals the agent manager 100 when data is added to thedatabase 152, 315. The agent manager 100 notifies the agents 110 of theavailability of data in the database to be analyzed and identifies atleast one patient whose data is to be analyzed, 320. Each agent 110retrieves data from the database 152 based on the data that agent 110needs to provide an output to the agent manager 100, 325. Alternatively,the agent manager 100 publishes the relevant data to one or more of theagents 110. The agents 110 process the retrieved data and provide anoutput to the agent manger 100 where the output is a conclusion or anindication of additional data needed, 330.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an interface that may be produced bythe display generator 102. The recommendation, for example, includes atleast one of an additional test, suggestion of one or more medicalconditions as a possibility for the patient, and a course of treatment.The indication of additional data needed, for example, includes at leastone of a status progression as illustrated in FIG. 4, a textualstatement such as waiting for database input or finished, oridentification of the data that is required to perform the analysis. Ina further embodiment, the agent manager 100 or the agents 110 alsoprovide their results to the data capture module 158, the database 152,and/or a report module. The report module will use the recommendationsprovided by one or more of the agents along with additional data pulledfrom the database to populate a report for use by the user.

FIG. 4 also illustrates an example of how the use of color, italics orother indications can be used to relay information as to the status ofthe respective agent. For example, if the agent has received itsnecessary inputs and determined that it is not applicable, then it couldbe displayed in italics with an output indicating that it is notapplicable to the current situation. See, e.g., “Femal SUI MUS . . . ”(agent 4). If the agent may apply or does apply to the situation, theagent could be written in a regular type with color being used as anindication of status such as blue for awaiting at least one input andgreen for completed. See, e.g., “Incontinence and . . . ” (agent 12).Other color schemes and font styles could be used than those illustratedin FIG. 4 including the use of bold or a particular color to indicate arecommendation of a further test or the possible existence of aparticular condition. FIG. 4 also illustrates the use of providing apercentage to indicate the level of progression of individual agents.See, e.g., “New Drug Treatment” (agent 15) at 33% and “SNM treatmentfor” (agent 22) at 66%. FIG. 4 also illustrates an alternativeembodiment where the user may designate particular agents as favorites410. FIG. 4 also illustrates an example embodiment where the user mayselect a particular heading 415 and have the agents sorted based on thatattribute along with identifying the patient 420 whose data is beingprocessed by the agents.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example method for operation of the systemsillustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. The use of the agents 110 in theillustrated method is triggered by the user starting the agent manager100 and selecting a patient to be analyzed, 505. An example of this isillustrated in selection box 420 in FIG. 4. The agent manager 100 inresponse to the selection of the patient notifies the agents 110 toretrieve their respective data inputs from the database 152 for theidentified patient, 510. The agents 110 process the retrieved data, 515,and provide an output to the agent manager 100, 520. FIG. 4 illustratesan example of an interface that can display the status of the agents110, 525.

In an alternative embodiment to the previous embodiments, the agentmanager 100 refers to a database 106 (or table) to determine which datafields are relevant to the attached (or associated) agents. The agentmanager 100 pulls the data and publishes it to the agents 110 with allagents receiving the data or there is selective publication based on thecontents of the database 106 with the agents receiving the data that isneeded as input for the respective agents.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative interface for displaying the status ofthe agents 110. In this embodiment the agents 110 are running formultiple patients at once. The patients whose information is beinganalyzed can be selected by the user, be patients being treated that dayor other time period, be patients awaiting additional data from, forexample, laboratory tests. There are a variety of ways for data neededby the agents 110 to provide their respective outputs moves from thedatabase 152 to the agents 110. One example is for the data to bepublished to the agents 110. One example of publication includes alldata being sent to all of the agents 110 in communication to thedatabase 152 with the agents 110 ignoring the data that is not relevant.Another example of publication is for the database 152 and/or the agentmanager 100 to include identification of which agents 110 are interestedin which data fields in the database 152 and publish the data only tothe interested agents 110 when data in that field changes. In at leastone embodiment, the identification of the agents 110 is in a database inthe agent manager 100 that serves as the information conduit between thedatabase 152 and the agents 110. The publication may under eitherexample be event driven, for example, once data for a series of fieldsis complete or a set of questions are answered or a medical examinationor other appointment is complete, then the data is published. In atleast one embodiment, the publication of data is done via the agentmanager 100 receiving the data from the database 152 and forwarding itto one or more of the agents 110.

Another example of how to move data from the database 152 to the agents110 is having the agents 110 request the data of interest atpredetermined time intervals or based on notifications from the agentmanager 100 monitoring the database 152 that data is available forrequesting (or pulling). In at least one embodiment, the agent manager100 provides the communication link between the agents 110 and thedatabase 152. To streamline handling of the data, the agent manager 100may include a cache to retain data for a period of time to decrease thenumber of transactions with the database 152.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6, the agents 110 send theirrespective outputs to the at least one of the agent manager 100 and thedatabase 152. In at least one embodiment, the agent manager 100 displaysinformation to the user through a display generator 102 and a display140. An example interface for the agent manager 100 is depicted in FIG.6. The illustrated interface is for a medical environment that isrunning two agents (Dr. Tom B. and Dr. Andriy T.) and has three medicalrecords (1, 1234, and 431242134) interacting with the agents asrepresented by three distinct numbers in the MRN column (medical recordnumber). The illustrated interface shows that for MRN 1, the agents havefinished processing the data and provided an output of “Do not recommendIPNE test” 605. In connection with the other two medical records, bothagents are still waiting to receive at least one input from the database610. Based on this disclosure, it can be appreciated that otheridentifiers could be used in place of MRN 615 and still provide a way tocorrelate the information to, for example, a particular patient, client,project, or database entry using other identifiers includingalphanumeric labels or names. FIG. 6 also illustrates an example of astatus summary 620 that informs the user the number of agents waitingfor an input and the number of agents that are finished.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate another example interface for the agentmanager 100 in the medical field that includes a “Selected Patient”button 705 and an “All Patients” button 710. FIG. 7A illustrates apartial display of the interface (only 5 Agent Name-MRN combinations areshown even though there are 18 agent-MRN combinations running) thatresults from the user selecting the “All Patients” button 710. FIG. 7Aalso illustrates an example where one agent (Bladder Necrosis) is notapplicable to two patients 730, because the underlying paper used tocreate the agent does not apply to those patients' situations asidentified by the output 715 of “Paper does not apply” 730. While the“Clinical Work Up . . . ” agent is complete with respect to MRN 1 andsuggests a recommend condition (“smH2O suggests Type3”) 735. While thatsame agent is awaiting additional information 740 to become available inthe database for the other two MRNs identified in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7B illustrates where the “Selected Patient” button 705 has beenselected to allow for selection of a particular patient, which in theillustration is Patient No. 1. Although a pull-down menu 720 isillustrated for selection of the patient, other interfaces could be usedsuch as a text field or a search interface. There are three agent-MRNcombinations displayed while there are 27 total agent-MRN combinationsbeing tracked by the Agent Manager. Of the 27 total agent-MRNcombinations: 20 are finished, 1 is awaiting manual entry of data, and 6are awaiting additional data to be provided by the database as indicatedin the agent summary section 725. In terms of Patient No. 1, one agent(“Example Agent”) is waiting for manual information to be entered 745,for example, through the agent manager or through an interfacefunctionally similar to the one depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The othertwo agents have their status as “Finished” and as such their respectiveoutputs are displayed in the interface.

FIG. 8 illustrates a further embodiment where a first agent 810 has asan input that is received from an output of another agent (or secondagent) 812. In this embodiment, the first agent 810 will monitor thedatabase for receipt of the output of the second agent 812.Alternatively, the first agent 810 will have the agent manager 100monitor the progress of the second agent 812.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example embodiment according to theinvention. FIG. 9 illustrates examples of some of the inputs 970 thatmight be utilized by agents 910 in a medical expert system 950implementation that includes an interface 954 to interact and receiveinputs for the database 952 from the user. Examples of additional inputsfor the database 952 from other sources 960 include but are not limitedto questionnaires; test or laboratory reports; other electronic medicalrecord systems; medical devices such as pulse oximeters, pressuresensors, and blood pressure cuffs; clinical decision support databases;and identification cards. The data used to populate the database 952 inat least one embodiment is from data entry by the user and/or patientthrough an interface 954. FIG. 9 illustrates a plurality of inputs 960and a user interface 954 in communication with a database 952. Thedatabase 952 is in communication with an agent manager 900 and aplurality of agents 910. The agent manager 900 in at least oneembodiment provides an output as described previously to the user. FIG.9 also depicts an example of the flow of information between theillustrated components as represented by the various arrowheads.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of aspects of each agent including theidentification of (or tying to) a publication 1080 that was used tocreate the rule set 1082 to analyze the data input(s) 1084 to produce anoutput 1086. The creation of the agents will be discussed in more detaillater in the disclosure. Examples of how the publication 1080 can beassociated with a particular agent include a copy of the publication, acitation to the publication, and a link that will take the user to thepublication or external source for the publication. The rule set 1082includes the decision pathways that are followed to provide arecommendation or conclusion that are based on the factors, conclusions,and data contained in the publication (or gathered from experience).Examples of decision pathways are depicted in FIGS. 13A-14B. In at leastone embodiment, the different agents are operated using an operationmodule that uses the rule set 1082 to process the data input(s) 1084where the operation module is substantially the same for each agent andin a further embodiment the operation module is identical across theagents in the system.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method embodiment according to the invention.Although the method illustrates a use of the invention in the medicalfield, it should be appreciated based on this disclosure that theinvention has application in other fields where an expert system wouldbe useful such as legal, mechanical diagnostics, and sciencestudies/research/analysis. The illustrated method includes completion ofa general questionnaire such as a medical history 1102, vital signmeasurements or tests results 1104, and any health concerns of thepatient 1106. This information is received into the database 152. In theillustrated method, an urodynamics test is performed and the results arereceived into the database, 1104. A more complete and specificquestionnaire(s) in at least one embodiment (but this step is omitted inan alternative embodiment) is used to gather additional information forinclusion in the database for the patient, 1106. These three steps couldbe performed in a different order than illustrated and potentially twoor more could be performed concurrently. The illustrated method includesa pair of arrow lines from the questionnaire steps to the all agentsstanding by step to illustrate that as the data is added to thedatabase, the data in at least one embodiment is published to the agentsas illustrated by the arrow lines to Agent #1, #2, and #N, 1110-1114. Asmentioned previously, the data instead could be published to the agentmanager for distribution to the agents, 1108. The agent manager stepillustrates that the agent manager oversees and monitors the progress ofthe agents as illustrated by the return arrow lines, 1116. As the dataflows to the agents, the agents perform analysis according to theirrules to provide an output that is then collected by the agent managerand in at least one embodiment is provided to the database, 1118. Themethod in at least one embodiment allows for the user such as a medicalprofessional to provide a selection that is received by the agentmanager as to preferred agent(s) to obtain more details regarding theoutput of the preferred agent(s). The medical professional then isprovided that information to be used in treating the patient fromreaching a diagnosis, ordering additional tests, prescribing a course oftreatment, etc.

In at least one embodiment, the agent manager includes or is incommunication with at least one of an agent table and agent-MRN pairtable, which are examples of internal databases on the agent manager.The agent table provides information regarding the different agents thatare in communication with the agent manager to facilitate communicationwith them and to allow for monitoring of the agents. The agent-MRN pairtable likewise provides assistance with communication between the agentmanager and the agents particularly if one MRN is selected to be able todetermine which agents have been associated with the MRN and thusdisplayed.

The agent table in at least one embodiment includes information abouteach agent and may include further links to additional databases, forexample, to pull biographical information about the agent. Examples ofthe biographical information include list of authors, journal citation,meta tags (FIG. 12 provides some examples) or other searchable file, andtitle. The list of authors allows individuals to locate agents that arefrom articles written or other material prepared by particular authorsthat can assist in locating articles of more interest to the user,because for example they may have trained under a particular expert (orprofessional in the field like a doctor or lawyer) who is also anauthor. The meta tags may include identification of other articles ormaterial such as an author of interest, and also in a further embodimentif there are other agents that are based on material from that author.The meta tags in a further embodiment may include rating informationgathered from users such as comments and ratings of the agent to assistothers in the field in selecting agents that the field finds useful fortheir practice or conversely that may have issues. The date ofpublication provides a few benefits including allowing the agents to besorted based on the date of the information used to create the agent andprovide potentially more weight to later agents.

In at least one embodiment, the table will include at least one of anidentification of the agent such as an unique identifier (or ID), a pathand a name of the agent executable file (for example, if the agentrequires a particular custom agent executable to run), name of theagent's .xml file (or other source file) with examples of the sourcefile illustrated in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the type of agent, whether theagent is enabled, and whether there is a popup output for warning. Ifthe path and file name or .xml file information is blank, then the agentmanager can use the default location and the name of the agent to locatethese files. In another embodiment, if there is no identification of anagent executable file, then the default agent executable file is used.

The agent type in at least one embodiment includes at least one of thefollowing: a poll status, a trigger status, or a patient status. Thepoll status provides for the agent to be activated by the agent manageraccording to a predetermined schedule (e.g., hourly during the businessday, hourly, daily, each business day, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.)and run for all of the patients in the database. In a furtherembodiment, when an agent is set to poll status, the agent is run forpatients in the database that have had an information change since thelast running or if a new agent against a selection of patients (e.g.,all patients, all active patients, patients seen recently or in the lastyear). The trigger status causes the agent to be activated for exampleby a trigger (e.g., SQL trigger) that causes the agent to run when aparticular field in the database that has a change in the data field.The patient status provides for the agent to be activated if the userselects a particular patient in the agent manager.

The enabled and popup output fields allow the agent manager to knowwhether the agent is available for launch and whether the agent includesthe ability to inform the medical professional of a potential dangerouscondition of the patient during execution of the agent for a particularpatient.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the agent algorithm design. The agentscan be based on a variety of sources including, for example, commercialliterature, regulating claims documentation, scientific, and experienceof an individual(s). The scientific source would find its basis in, forexample, a source journal article(s), conference material such as apaper or poster presentation, or a combination of these. The experiencecategory in at least one embodiment includes agents created based onapproaches taken by individuals in the field including experts,recognized leaders, or people in the field. The agents may be createdfor use of a select group of people or distributed to a wider audience.Examples of a category that might be used in the legal field includecourt opinions, statutes, agreements, treaties, administrative rules,and memorandums.

FIG. 12 identifies examples of workflow tools that include aninput/output mapper, identification of important inputs, andidentification of dead end inputs. In at least one embodiment, theinput/output mapper is included to provide links between the inputsneeded for an agent and the outputs that will be produced by the agentwith linkage of how the inputs relate to the outputs. As discussedpreviously, one example of the input/output mapper is a database ortable resident in the agent manager. The identification of importantinputs allows the agent manager to control the flow of information andin at least one embodiment the activation of particular agents. Anexample is if an agent needs one particular input, then it will not beactivated until that input is available with one way to do that is withthe trigger status discussed previously. This feature can also be usedto provide a confidence level for the output being provided by the agentthat would improve as additional information is provided as inputs tothe agent. The identity of dead end inputs allows the agent manager toignore certain data that is not relevant to the agents with an exampleof data being the name of the person, which typically would not have anyimpact on the medical condition of a patient unless that information wasused to build a family medical history to use to diagnosis the patient.

FIG. 12 illustrates examples of rules that may govern the operation ofthe agents from inputs, trigger points, relationships, and outputs. Fora particular agent, some of the example rules may or may not beapplicable depending on the structure of that agent.

Examples of inputs for any agent include WNL (within normal limits)reference database, clinician profile such as a custom input notreferenced in the source material like a paper, an output from anotheragent, questionnaire inputs from a questionnaire that includes questionsto obtain information of relevance for the agent or identification offields in a database, device outputs such as UDS parameters or a vitalsigns monitor, e-mail messaging or other forms of messaging, andelectronic medical records (EMR) inputs. The questionnaire could includequestions that provide information useful for multiple agents.

In at least one embodiment, the agent manager tracks questionnaireinputs for all of the enable agents to accumulate them into aquestionnaire for the professional to go through as part of the processsuch as a patient visit. In a further embodiment, the agent managerprovides the electronic medical record system with the questionnaire(s)or the interface(s) to gather the information for the agents incommunication with the agent manager. In a further embodiment where theagent manager includes a database, when an agent is added to the system,an entry is made in the database to correlate its input(s) with existingquestions in a questionnaire or fields in a database so that the dataprovided can be appropriately sent to the agent. When the agent requiresan input that does not exist, then in at least one embodiment thequestionnaire is modified to include a question directed at obtaininginformation for the input(s) needed by the agent.

FIG. 12 illustrates two examples of trigger points for agents thatinclude event triggers and polling triggers. Examples of things that canbe event triggers includes e-mail/messaging triggers, input conditionsbe completed and/or information needed for a particular input isprovided, date/time events such as a certain amount of time has passedand that time lapse has value as an input for an agent, and manualinvocation/debug mode. The manual invocation/debug mode can be used ifthe professional would like to see how the inputs impact the outputs togain a better understanding or if there is a particular agent that is ofinterest, then the professional can interact with just that agent tominimize the amount of information needed to be gathered/entered intothe agent to obtain an output. FIGS. 13A-13C provide examples of aninterface that illustrates examples of the manual invocation/debug modeaccording to the invention in the medical urological field. In at leastone embodiment, the manual invocation/debug mode allows the professionalto confirm the data and/or override the data to more accurately reflectthe situation. The illustrated example of a polling trigger is to setindividual input based on date or time. Additional examples regardingpolling triggers have been discussed earlier in this disclosure.

In a further embodiment, when the professional overrides an agent'soutput by changing a switch. The system will update the agent for use bythat professional (and anyone else selected by the professional such asother people in the same medical/legal office or department) to reflectthe updated switch. An annotation will be added to the meta tags of thechange. An example of a change might be changing an age switch from 18to 19 based on, for example, new literature or user experience. In atleast one embodiment, the agent manager will inquire with the user thebasis for the change so that a record can be made.

FIG. 12 identifies a system rule as including relationships. In at leastone embodiment, an example of a relationship is whether there are otheragents that have a similar application including ones that providedifferent outputs and reach contrary conclusions. In another embodiment,the relationship provides the connection between all the inputs with theoutputs. The relationships in at least one embodiment are used by theagent manager to organize the agents in a display interface such thatagents analyzing similar data and/or designed to reach conclusions onsimilar scenarios are proximate to each other in the display interface.

FIG. 12 also identifies examples of the form of outputs for individualagents. Examples include displaying a dialog box message as part of theinterface for the agent manager or as a popup message, e-mail or othermessaging alerts, report elements for a database, trace logs and usagestatistics, and decision explanations. The trace logs and usagestatistics in at least one embodiment are used to order agents for useby the professional using the system, other professionals in the field,or to identify the agents being used most and that other professionalsmay want to adopt. Conversely, this information in at least oneembodiment is used to identify agents that may have a technical issue orbe viewed as having less value to the profession. The decisionexplanations as an output in at least one embodiment will provide theuser an explanation of the rationale behind the decision or output ofthe agent that can be used to confirm the decision by the user and/or toeducate the user.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate two example interfaces for viewing theunderlying rules used by an agent. Both figures use the example agentillustrated in FIG. 14A with patient 1. FIG. 13A illustrates how an useris able to progress through the agent's processing one switch at a timewith the first step being illustrated in the figure with the two optionsavailable (i.e., age greater than or equal 19 years and less than 19years) with two buttons available 1320. The Next button advancing theagent to the next step based on the selection made with the radiobuttons and the Stop Agent button will exit the interface. The progresssection 1322 shows what inputs have been received and processed by theagent. The rule section 1324 lists the switches and cases that make upthe particular agent.

FIG. 13B illustrates the interface after the answer of “less than 19years” was selected in FIG. 13B. The progress section 1322 shows thatthe Response was “Case: 1” while the rule section 1324 shows the “Case1: XML:less than 19 years” results in an output of “for Case 1 Usepatches ELE428”. The output is also provided at the top of the interfacein the illustrated interface.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate examples of agents as .xml files (althoughother formats/languages can be used), the outputs, and the switches usedin each agent to produce the output. In FIG. 14A, the switches (<SwitchSwitchCaption= . . . >) are the portions of the agents that requireinformation for a decision to be made that may lead to further decisionsand/or an output for the agent based on a rule. In the illustratedexample of FIG. 14A, the two pieces of data needed for inputs are thepatient's age and sex. Based on the inputs, three outputs are possiblebased on the three rules in the illustrated agent in FIG. 14A. But asillustrated in this example, if the patient is under the age of 19years, then an output can be provided irrespective of the sex of thepatient. In a scenario where the agent is set to run upon entry of atrigger, then once the age is entered the agent will provided an outputif the patient is under 19 years old even if the patient's sex has notbeen entered assuming the agent is relevant for the reason for thepatient's visit. As discussed previously and illustrated in the figures,the output could be to the agent manager for display or other use orentered into a database such as an electronic medical records system.

In another embodiment using the example agent of FIG. 14A as thediscussion basis, would have the agent manager identify for theprofessional that the agent is missing the patient's sex before it isable to provide an output. This would occur where the patient's age is19 years or older. The agent manager in at least one embodiment when nodata is available for the agents in at least one embodiment would listor otherwise identify the inputs desired by the agents. As data andinformation is provided to the agents, updating the list to reflect thedata or information provided or that has become unnecessary for anoutput to be provided by the agent.

In another embodiment, the agent manager provides information regardingany agent that is selected that shows which chain through the agent isbeing used (or possible), for example, graphically using color or othertext formatting as illustrated in FIG. 13C. The illustrated interface inat least one embodiment is reached by selecting the agent in one of theillustrative interfaces shown in FIGS. 4 and 6-7B. The example interfaceillustrates an output section 1302 that shows the output as determinedby the agent for the currently selected patient, a rule set section 1304showing the triggers and switches, and a Read Article button 1306 forproviding information about the source material or a link to where thematerial can be found. FIG. 13C also depicts an Expand All button, aCollapse All button, and an OK button. For data branches that are notapplicable for the particular situation, the agent manager would showthat chain graphically differently than the data branch being used suchas grayed out compared to a color font or different font style (italicscompared to normal). See section 1304. This display would be based onthe progress of the agent and the data/information that has beenprovided to the agent to provide a real-time display. The illustratedinterface provides an example of how a user could see the rules processfor a particular situation to make a decision to modify it as discussedpreviously.

FIG. 14B illustrates another example agent according to at least oneembodiment of the invention. The illustrated agent is named ALPP. Theillustrated agent provides a more complicated example than that shown inFIG. 14A as there are more switches and branches that are followeddepending upon the inputs that are received by the agent.

In a further embodiment, selecting an agent or moving the cursorproximate to the agent's name provides the user with informationregarding the underlying source material used to create the agent.Examples of how the information may be provided include, for example,displaying a pop-up window with the citation or a link that will directthe user to the source material and opening the source material inanother window or in software appropriate to view the material such asAdobe Acrobat. In at least one further embodiment there is an icon or alink associate with the agent that will be used to receive the requestfor additional material.

In at least one embodiment the agent manager will sort the availableagents based on a variety of parameters. Examples of those parametersinclude a certain author being present, publication or creation dates,titles of source material or agents, agents created by a predefinedgroup such as customers of a particular company or members of agroup/association, application (or relevancy of) for the agent, and userfavorites and/or rankings. In addition to the sorting function, theagent manager in a further embodiment will include the ability to searchthe agents for example by using the meta tags.

The agents used in the system as mentioned previously can be based on avariety of sources of information. As such, one distribution method forthe agents according to the invention is as follows. Agents in at leastone embodiment are prepared based on reviews of literature and othermaterial from the field. Based on findings, instructions, and similarinformation, a set of rules is created that includes identification ofinputs and switches that are discussed in the information source toreach the output described in the information source. The agents thencould be provided to customers through a subscription basis, soldindividually or in groups a la carte, and by the use. The variety ofdescribed data and metrics that in different embodiments is gathered canbe used to organize the agents and present the agents to the customers.Additional metrics that are used in other embodiments include popularitybased on, for example, uses or downloads; technical area; cost; userratings and/or reviews; etc. The popularity could be combined withtechnical area and/or geographic location of the user. An example isdisplaying agents for urology would be displayed for urologists butprobably not oncologists unless there was an overlap across disciplines.Another technical example is displaying agents based on 4^(th) Circuitcase law for attorneys practicing in the 4^(th) Circuit. A geographiclocation example is displaying agents based on Canadian medicalpractices and regulations to Canadian doctors but not U.S. doctors.

FIG. 15 illustrates a workflow for development of individual agents thatincludes the proposal stage 1510, the conversion of the material to alogic diagram stage 1520, the validation stage 1530, and the marketingstage 1540. Based on this disclosure, it should be appreciated that oneor more stages (e.g., the marketing stage) illustrated in FIG. 15 may beomitted including any subparts of the stages.

The illustrated proposal stage 1510 is illustrative of examples ofsources of material that can be used to develop agents includingarticles or papers, marketing department input, and a scientificadvisory board input. The articles or papers may be located from avariety of places including author searches to locatesubscribers/purchasers of agents or leading individuals in the field;prize-winning papers; sponsored research by corporations or governmententities; clinical trial results of new drugs and devices in the medicalfield; government sponsored guidelines such as guidelines propagated byNICE, FDA, and NIH; organization sponsored papers; and articles orpapers appearing in certain journals or being included in certainconferences. The marketing department may provide insight into agentsthat would be of interest to potential users. The scientific advisoryboard in at least one embodiment would include leading individuals inthe field that develop agent logic separate and in addition to othersources. In another embodiment, the advisory board provides leads and/orinsights into forthcoming developments in the field.

The conversion stage 1520 in at least one embodiment includes thecreation of a logic diagram from the contents of the source materialthat shows the information beneficial as inputs and the type of outputthat would be provided. Examples of outputs include a score, a numericalor other representation of a condition, a diagnosis, a recommendationfor additional questions or testing, and one or more probabilities forcertain things to exist. The inputs represent the data collected thatwill be related to the output(s). Sources of data as illustrated in FIG.15 include, for example, from devices such as UDS or Urocap in theurological field, and questionnaires or questions. Another criterionthat is included in at least one embodiment is the problem or issue thatthe agent is created for use. Additional sources may come from pulling(or receiving) data from an electronic medical records system. FIG. 16illustrates an example of a logic diagram for an agent to assist theuser in determining the clinical work up for Genuine Stress Incontinence(GSI) from least to most invasive testing. As the user progressesthrough the logic diagram that in at least one embodiment is implementedas a questionnaire that asks questions to gather the information toserve as inputs for this particular agent.

The validation stage 1520 illustrated in FIG. 15 includes qualityassurance testing for verifying the specifications (e.g., if the programoutputs meet the requirements of inputs) including the data from thepublished article (or other source), regulatory clearance (if needed),clinical evaluation testing (if needed) and final product release tomarket.

The launch of an agent or collection of agents 1540 can take a varietyof forms that in part is dependent upon the pricing model used asillustrated in FIG. 15. In one embodiment, the agent is posted (orloaded) into a central database for purchase or downloading bycustomers. In another embodiment, the agent is provided as part of anapplication service provider arrangement. In another embodiment, writtenmaterial regarding the agent is created discussing the features andbenefits. In a further embodiment, the agent is launched using suchmarketing tools as e-mail, websites, newsletters, and press releases.

FIG. 17 illustrates another embodiment according to the invention. Theillustrated embodiment adds a synchronizer module 1770 connected to therecord system and a set of remote components in different embodimentsprovide, for example, including but not limited to backup, remoteaccess, update, etc. The remote components include an interface module1780, a remote database 1782, and a central database 1784. Although thesynchronizer module 1770 is illustrated as being separate from therecord system 150, in at least one embodiment the synchronizer module1770 is incorporated into the record system 150. In a furtherembodiment, the synchronizer module 1770, the record system 150, and theagent manager 100 are integrated together.

The synchronizer module 1770 in at least one embodiment provides forbackup of the data present in the database 152 to the remote database1782 through the interface module 1780, which in at least one embodimentassigns a code to each data entry received from the database 152 so thatthe remote database 1782 includes the original data plus an identifierof who (e.g., user, location, facility, company, individual, etc.) ownsthe data. The remote database 1782 in at least one embodiment providesfor remote access through the interface module 1780 to the datacontained in the database 152 to users that are traveling including theability to run agents. In at least one embodiment, the interface module1780 controls access by users to the remote database 1782 based at leastin part on whether the user is affiliated with the data in the remotedatabase 1782. The affiliation is determined at least in part on whetherthe user has been granted permission by the source of the data to accessthe data remotely where the determination uses the identifier of whoowns the data added to the data by the interface module 1780 when thedata was loaded into the remote database 1782, which is useful in animplementation where there are multiple doctor offices' whose data ispresent in the remote database to avoid access to data from other doctoroffices by users.

In a further embodiment, the synchronizer module 1770 performs checkswith the interface module 1780 to see if the central database 1784 hasany new or modified agents to be downloaded to the local system and whatadjustments are needed in any database present in the agent manager 100to reflect the new or modified agents. In at least one embodiment, thesynchronizer module 1770 communicates directly with the central database1784 without the presence of the interface module 1780. The synchronizermodule 1770 depending upon the implementation may be continually incontact with the interface module 1780, the remote database 1782 and/orcentral database 1784 to facilitate substantially real-time updatingand/or backing up of data, be set to perform its function atpredetermined time periods or intervals, or upon manual request by auser. In a further embodiment, the interface module 1780, the remotedatabase 1782 and/or the central database 1784 are implemented usingcloud technology. In at least one embodiment, the remote database 1782contains data for just one office or practice, which allows for omissionof the identifier of the owner of the data to be added by the interfacemodule 1780.

FIG. 18 is similar to FIG. 17 with the exception that the remotedatabase 1782 and the central database 1784 are combined into onedatabase 1886. FIG. 18 also illustrates an alternative embodiment thatomits the agent database 106 from the agent manager 100.

An alternative embodiment to any of the embodiments discussed in theprevious two paragraphs, is for the interface module 1780 to pushupdates of software and/or agents to the synchronizer module 1770 on,for example, a predetermined schedule or as they become available. In afurther alternative embodiment, the interface module 1780 pulls anyupdated data from the database 152 to the remote database 1782 orcombination database 1886 on a predetermined schedule.

In a further embodiment, when a new agent or modified agent is added tothe system, the agent runs for a preselected grouping of patients thatcan be based upon, for example, condition/situation of the patient orperson, temporal configuration for any situation analyzed in thepreceding predetermined amount of time, or the last N number ofsituations analyzed by the system where N is any positive integer.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art based on thisdisclosure, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as asystem, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of thepresent invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment,a processor operating with software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining softwareand hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the presentinvention may take the form of a computer program product embodied inone or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable programcode embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this disclosure, a computer readablestorage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store aprogram for use by or in connection with an instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++, C#, Transact-SQL, XML, or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute with theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Referring now to FIG. 19, a representative hardware environment forpracticing at least one embodiment of the invention is depicted. Thisschematic drawing illustrates a hardware configuration of an informationhandling/computer system in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe invention. The system comprises at least one processor or centralprocessing unit (CPU) 10. The CPUs 10 are interconnected with system bus12 to various devices such as a random access memory (RAM) 14, read-onlymemory (ROM) 16, and an input/output (I/O) adapter 18. The I/O adapter18 can connect to peripheral devices, such as disk units 11 and tapedrives 13, or other program storage devices that are readable by thesystem. The system can read the inventive instructions on the programstorage devices and follow these instructions to execute the methodologyof at least one embodiment of the invention. The system further includesa user interface adapter 19 that connects a keyboard 15, mouse 17,speaker 24, microphone 22, and/or other user interface devices such as atouch screen device (not shown) to the bus 12 to gather user input.Additionally, a communication adapter 20 connects the bus 12 to a dataprocessing network 25, and a display adapter 21 connects the bus 12 to adisplay device 23 which may be embodied as an output device such as amonitor, printer, or transmitter, for example.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the root terms “include”and/or “have”, when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans plus function elements in the claims below are intended to includeany structure, or material, for performing the function in combinationwith other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description ofthe present invention has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to theinvention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments were chosen anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the invention andthe practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in theart to understand the invention for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of particularexample embodiments, it is not limited to those embodiments. Theembodiments, examples, and modifications which would still beencompassed by the invention may be made by those skilled in the art,particularly in light of the foregoing teachings.

As used above “substantially,” “generally,” and other words of degreeare relative modifiers intended to indicate permissible variation fromthe characteristic so modified. It is not intended to be limited to theabsolute value or characteristic which it modifies but rather possessingmore of the physical or functional characteristic than its opposite, andpreferably, approaching or approximating such a physical or functionalcharacteristic.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations andmodifications of the exemplary and alternative embodiments describedabove can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scopeof the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than asspecifically described herein.

1. A system comprising: an agent manager having an interface forinteracting with at least one external database, an internal database,and a controller connected to said interface and said internal database;and a plurality of agents in communication with said agent manager, eachagent having a plurality of flow steps for processing informationsubstantially in parallel with the other agents to provide an output toat least one of said agent manager and an agent database interface forcommunicating with at least one external database, the output is basedon at least one input by said agent; and wherein said internal databaseof said agent manager includes an entry for each agent in communicationwith said agent manager.
 2. The system according to claim 1, whereineach entry in said internal database includes a technical area for eachagent, said controller controls the flow of information from saidinterface to said plurality of agents based at least on the technicalarea of each agent in said internal database.
 3. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said controller publishes all information receivedthrough said interface to all agents in communication with said agentmanager.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said agent managerfurther includes a display generator, said display generator creates agraphical user interface for displaying any output received from agentsin communication with said agent manager.
 5. The system according toclaim 4, wherein said controller monitors the operation of the agentsand provides this information to said display generator for display. 6.The system according to claim 1, wherein said interface monitors theavailability of data in any database in communication with saidinterface.
 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said controllerpublishes data as it becomes available in any connected externaldatabase.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said interfacemonitors any connected external database in communication with saidinterface for predetermined events before pulling data for publicationby said controller to any agents in communication with said agentmanager.
 9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising anelectronic medical record system having at least one of said at leastone external databases interacting with said interface.
 10. A method forproviding assistance to a professional based on at least part ofavailable material in the professional's field, the method comprising:receiving information with an agent manager from an expert system, thereceived information is to be analyzed by a plurality of agents;distributing the information to the agents in communication with theagent manager; monitoring and displaying the progress of the agents withthe agent manager; and receiving and reporting to at least one of adatabase and a human user any results provided by the agents to theagent manager.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein informationis distributed to agents based on the information received.
 12. Themethod according to claim 10, further comprising: maintaining aninternal database in the agent manager having an entry for each agent incommunication with said agent manager; and updating the internaldatabase when there is a change in the agents in communication with theagent manager.
 13. The method according to claim 12, whereindistributing the information is based on entries in the internaldatabase.
 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the internaldatabase includes a technical area for each agent in communication withthe agent manager.
 15. The method according to claim 12, furthercomprising: tracking the inputs for each agent in communication with theagent manager; and assembling a questionnaire for use by theprofessional that includes questions to gather the inputs for theagents.
 16. The method according to claim 10, further comprisingmaintaining a patient-agent database with each entry identifying a linkcreated between each patient and each agent that information had beenexchanged about.
 17. A method comprising: capturing a plurality of datawith a data capture module; populating a database with the captureddata; performing at least one of monitoring the database for theaddition of data and notifying with the data capture module an agentmanager when the data capture is done; notifying agents by the agentmanager to retrieve data; retrieving data from the database by theagents; and outputting information from each agent that retrieved datato at least one of the agent manager and the database.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 17, wherein retrieving data from the database by theagents includes each agent retrieves the data needed by that agent tooutput information.
 19. The method according to claim 17, furthercomprising displaying the status of each agent by the agent managerbased on information outputted by the agents to the agent manager. 20.The method according to claim 17, further comprising: receiving arequest for additional information regarding one of the agents, anddisplaying a window showing at least one of a basis for the agent andprocess steps used by the agent.